Index or file



April 24, 1928.

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am nu,

Patented Apr. 24, 1928.

UNITED {STAT-Es P'ATEN T? lo FFicE..Av

WILLTAM n. :oAYjoE EAsT HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNRBY MESNE ASSIGN- l MENTS, To EE'MINGTCN EAN13l INC., or TCNAWANDA, NEW Yoann CoEPoEA- i TION OF DELAWARE.

INDEX 0E FILE.

Application led April 21, 1925. Serial No. 24,165. i

This invention relates to index devices of the Class in which a series of index cards orv means whereby a card may bedetachably f mounted upon the same so that a margin of the card will be exposed to view when so mounted, and the holders are arranged in overlapped relation. Various card holders have been provided for obtaining vthis result, some having transparent pockets along one margin by which additional cards are supported and others havingmeans such as clips at an upper .margin forgripping the added card. This invention contemplates an improvement over card holdersf of these types and provides a card holder` wherein index cards already in use inso-called box' indexes, as well as cards not having been so used, may be mounted' upon thecard holder in a simple and inexpensive manner without the disadvantage of causing a bulky thickedge at either margin of the holder, which is usually found in thesel types of holders due to the thickness of the overlapped materials forming the vpockets or the like at the margins thereof.

One ofthe objects of this ,inventiomtherefore, is to generally improve card holders of this type so that the cards' mounted thereon may be readily referred to, easily attached and detached therefrom.

Another object of this invention is thel provision rof a card or referencev member holder, having means to retain Aa card thereon, which will-bc inexpensive, efficient in use and which decreases to `a minimum the thickness of the combined holder and insert at the free edge thereof.

Another object of this invention is to provide card-retaining means of such a form and construction Ythat the same vmay be readily applied to a lreferencemember of the' hinged type, thereby adaptingsaid mem'- ber to removably rretain another reference member or card uponk the Hap portion thereof inl such a-manner that the side edges andd one marginal edge of ,both will coinc1 e. f v Other objects of this invention which are improvements lin devices of thisv character will appear as the same is hereinafter de scribed and claimed.y j In theaccompanying drawings: Y. Fig. 1 illustrates a supportin framehaving a plurality of card holders mounted thereon, which embody the featuresof this invention; V Y" g .I Fig. 2 is 'a section on line 2 2. ofFig. l; Fig. 3 is `an enlarged plan view ofthe free margin ofjoneof thek card holders, with a, corner of the superposedv card ,broken away; .c l Fig. 4 is an enlarged rear view of the card holder shown in Fig. 3,; Y Fig. 5 |is an enlarged side viewgof the free marginal portion of oneofthe card holders;

Fig. 6 is a section through a cornerof Va card holder, vlooking in the direction of arrow 6 6 of Fig.3;.v i Y i Fig. 7 is av section across a; cornerof Aa card holder, looking in the directionof arrows 7-7,of Fig-3; f e V Fig. 8` is a detailed perspective of the superimposed card-supporting member4 used in connection with my improved card-holder, and f of Fig. 9 is a section on line 9,-9 of Figl. A plurality of index reference members or card holders 10, embodyingthe `featuresof mylinvention, are shown mounted upon a suitable support 11in Fig. 1. These holders `are arranged tooverlap eachother aspredetermined amount so that afportion of @each may be exposed to Vview,v asshown. at

19. Thesupport 11y maybe. a shallow drawer Vor may be a leaf or lframe as illustrated. The vcard holders 10 are illustrated as being composed of two portions-l2 and 13,12 being the base portion and 13 the flap portion. Thesev portions are hingedly con,- nected at 14 in any suitable manner, such as a weakened line, a connecting strip of flexible fabric, or as shown, by a series of spaced hinged members 15 Vformed by a seriesof perforations. The base portion 1 2l is *provided with a pair of integral tongues 16 which engage a retaining strip 17 mounted in or on the support 11. The construction and cooperation between the tongues 16 and the retaining strip 17 is fully described in the patent to Irving Fisher, No. 1,048,056 dated December 24, 1912.

A reference member supporting means 23 is secured at each cornerof the free edge' of the flap portion 13 of each card holder.v

The supporting means 23 is preferably a thin ribbon-like strip of resilient material, and' in this instance, is composed of a strip of metal 23"', see dotted lines in Fig. 8, and is preformed before being secured at the corner of a card, as shown in full lines. The member 23 comprises a base or front plate portion 24, card edge engagingl portions 25 and 26, arm or wing portions 27 and 28 parallel to each other and extending perpendicularly relatively to the front plate portion 24, and card-engaging pointed end portions 29 andk 30 extending vertically upward from each of the arm portions.

When assembled upon a card holder, the portion 24 extends diagonally across the upper surface of the same, and is slightly spaced upwardly therefrom, the portions 25 and 26, respectively, being without and against the marginal and side edges of the card holder. The arm portions 27 and 2S extend along the under surface of the same, and the pointed ends 29 and 30 extend through the material and are bent over the upper surface thereof. As illustrated, the pointed ends 29 and 30 are threaded through preformed openings 32 and 33, respectively, provided in the card holder, but where the material of the card holder is thin the pointed ends 29 and 30' would 'readily puncture the material and can be insertedtherethrough. It is preferable that theY ends 29 and 30 be pressed downwardly into close contact with the material of the card holder, even to the extent of being forced into the same, and that the bend is in a direction toward the diagonally disposed portion 2a, so that these ends will not interfere with the insertion of the superposed card 3l but will present a substantially smooth rounded edge at the bend.

Because of extending to and over the edges of the flap 13 at each side of the corner portion thereof, the member 23 allowsy the superimposed card or insert 31 to be of the same width as the flap portion 13', and to extend to the free edge of the same. The side edges of the superimposed card or insert 31, therefore, will coincide with the side edges of the flap portion 13, and the bottom or marginal edge of the insert 3-15 will conincide with the free or marginal edge ofthe flap portion 13, thereby comletely covering the lower portion of the In some instances, the clamping effect of the member 23 upon the co-rner of the inserted card caused by the resiliency of the material from which the member is made, sufficient to hold the insert 31 upon the flap portion 13, but in other instances, it

desirable to use instrumentalities for engaging the upper margin of the insert to insure that the same will be properly retained en the holder. For this purpose, tongues 2O and 21 are illustrated in the drawings and are located adjacent the hinge connection 11i, being struck from the material of the card holder and joined thereto at 22.

As shown in Fig. 9, the Connecting portion 22 of these tongues allows the tongues to rest fiatwise upon the surface of the insert or card 3l. Insert-engaging means or tongues are therefore provided which, in their entirety are out of the plane of the card holder body yet parallel thereto. This feature obviates the tendency for the tongues to catch upon adjacent cards or other articles because of lying flat-wise upon the insert, while engaging the same, instead of extending at an angle away from the surface of the insert, which disadvantage was usually'found in indexes ofthis type previous to this invention. Preferably the tongues 20 and 21 are spaced from the plane of the card holder an amount sub stantially equal to the thickness of the inra-I terial` thereof. l

The above described card holder is obviously capable of being used as a record bearing member, either separately or when an insert is mounted thereon and when provided with a readily applied insert or additional card clamping and retaining means, such as the member 23, is also capable of supporting index cards upon a surface there-Y of. The advantages obtained 'in the use of the above described holder are largely due to the form and the arrangement thereon of the member 23, in combination with a reference member of the type illustrated', and in some instances, with such a reference member wherein the novel integral tongues 20 and 21 are provided.

The supporting means 23 may, of course, be furnished as a. separate part to card index owners and users, so that the existing reference members mayv be adapted to-support additional cards thereon and thereby become card holders. This is readily accomplished by securing the preformed corner member 23 shown in Fig. 8 upon the index cards of a series at present in use, and will not destroy the usefulness of the original index.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred form of the device embodying my invention, I do not limit myself to the exact details shown, as'many modifications side edges and a marginal edge of one coinl ciding With the corresponding edges of the other, and means secured to and extending across the corners adjacent the margin of one member and beyond said marginal edge and the adjacent edges thereof, comprising a preformed ribbon-like member for detachably retaining the other reference member thereon. I

3. In an index or file, a pair of referenceA members in superimposed relation With the side edges and a marginal edge of one coinciding with the corresponding edges of the other, and means secured to one adapted to detachably retain the other thereon, said means comprising a preformed ribbon-like member, and means adjacent the other margin of one of the reference members for engaging the opposite edge of the other reference member.

4. A reference member for an index or file, having card-holding means secured thereon whereby said reference member is capable of detachably supporting a card, said means comprising a member having a portion thereof extending across a corner of said reference member and beyond the adjacent edges and over a surface thereof, the ends of said member extending through said reference member and being bent over the surface of said member' in a direction toward and perpendicular to the portion extending across the' corner of said reference member.

5. In anindex or file, a card-retaining member adapted to embrace the corners of two superposed cards to secure them together, said member being preformed from ribbon-like resilient material and having a portion adapted to extend diagonally across the corners of the cards, a portion at each end of the diagonally extending portion adapted to extend vertically therefrom across the edges of the cards,- and a portion adapted to extend over the opposite surface of the-cards, and means associated With the last-mentioned portion adapted to engage one of the cards to retain said member in position thereon.

. other portions bent diagonally with respect to each of the depending portions and disposed p'erpendicularly in relation to the base portion, and means on the last-named portions Whereby said member may be secured to a card. j

7. A preformed member of ribbon-like springable material, adapted to be applied at the corner of a card for securing another card thereto, comprising a base portion having an arm portion extending perpendicularly from each end thereof, pointed end portions extending' substantially vertically to ysaid arm portion, and means connecting said arm portions to said base portions, each comprising a portion vertical to anddiagonally disposed in respect to said arm `portions and said base port-ion.

8. Means for retaining two card-like members together, comprising a strip of ribbonlike material having a portion adapted to lie flatwise upon a surface of one of the members, portions bent diagonally to and vertically depending from said first-mentioned` portion at the ends thereof, whereby said portionsare substantially at right angles to y each other, other portions bent diagonally to and vertically outward from said depending portions, said last-mentioned portions being adapted to lie fiatwise upon a surface yof the other of said members, and means associated with each of said last-mentioned portions to secure said retalnmg means to said other member. v f l y 9. A new article of'manufacture, compris-y ing a strip of materlal preformed to present l a front plate having an arm at each end thereof, said arms extending from said plate at right angles thereto and parallel to each other as and for the purpose described, each of said arms having a pointed end extending vertically upward therefrom as and for the purpose described. v'

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand thisv 15 day of April, 1925.

WILLIAM H. DAY.

{ CERTIFICATE oF CORRECTION,

Patent No. 1,667,539. Granted April 24, 1928, to

WILLIAM II. DAY.

it is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered eatent requiring correction as foiows: Page 2. line 70, before the word "upon" insert the word "firmlyk and that the said Letters Patent shoud be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 29th day of May, A. D. 1928.

M. J. Moore, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

